The Nightmare Boy
by Kioxi
Summary: Suzuki Mizuki lives with her grandmother. Her parents have been dead for years, and Mizuki can't help feeling a little...alone. However, when a cheeky figure from her past turns up, Mizuki finds her life turning upside down...but is her new friend all good?


**UGH. HONESTLY, I NEED TO STOP WRITING NEW STORIES. IT'S JUST...AMG- ohai, guys, welcome to...the newest of my new stories ;3; YOU'LL LIKE THIS ONE, I PROMISE. I have a lot of ideas for it...sorta. I think it's a mixture of adorable and plain weird. But hey, after some of the things you've heard about in my head, this should be no sweat. Anyway, in this story we'll follow our lovely main character, Suzuki Mizuki (her surname, Suzuki, means 'bell tree', and Mizuki means 'beautiful moon', which I think is adorable, and highly appropriate, ehehe...also, i has a nice ring to it :3). Other names include Suzuki Chiyo ('bell tree', 'eternal'), and Tsukino Hikaru ('moon field', 'light/radiance' - how ironic and contradicting is that?). It took me absolutely ages to find that last name. Thanks to Andy and the others for help on that xD anyway, let's begin. Introducing...THE NIGHTMARE BOY (classy title right there ;3).**

**NOTE: Don't plagerize. I know where you live. Well, I don't...but just PLEASE DON'T ^^ hope y'all enjoy it.**

**Chapter One**

_"Granny Chiyo, why do I have nightmares every night?"_

_"Ah, it's because the nightmare boy likes to visit you."_

_"Why don't I ever see him?"_

_"Well, I suppose he has lots of nightmares to deliver. You can't expect him to hang around all night, do you?"_

_"I guess not...will I ever see him?"_

_"I'm sure you will, someday. Be patient, Mizuki, and one day, he will return."_

_"Promise?"_

_"I promise. Now, go to sleep, Mizuki."_

_"Okay...good night, Granny Chiyo."_

_"Good night, dear. Sweet dreams."_

**Later That Night**

"Yes. Yes, I understand. I-I'll tell her. Thank you. Goodbye, now." Granny Chiyo set the phone down slowly, collapsing into one of the kitchen chairs and hiding her face in her hands. I crept up behind her, rubbing my eyes.

"Granny Chiyo?" I mumbled. "Why are you crying?"

"Mizuki...come here..." she said gently, taking both of my hands.

"Was that Mom on the phone?" Granny Chiyo bit her lip.

"No, dear. Y-Your parents won't be coming to pick you up for a while.."

"Did they get stuck in traffic?"

"No...not exactly...you see, Mizuki-"

"Mom and Dad aren't coming, are they?" I asked. Granny Chiyo looked at me with watery blue eyes.

"Mizuki..."

"Granny Chiyo...are Mom and Dad dead?"

"..."

"I told Dad he should have gotten his brakes checked," I sighed. Granny Chiyo stared at me for a long moment.

"How did you know it was the brakes?"

"I had a nightmare about it last night," I answered. She swallowed.

"Y-You did?"

"Yes, Granny Chiyo. Do you think _he _told me?"

"Who, dear?"

"The nightmare boy, of course," I told her. "Do you think _he _knew it was gonna happen?"

"But if that was the case, why couldn't he do anything about it?"

"Maybe he wasn't allowed to interfere...I don't think he _wanted _us to be sad, though..." I glanced out of the window. "I wonder if _he's _sad that he couldn't do anything about it..." Granny Chiyo smiled tearfully, pulling me into a warm, rose-scented hug.

"I think, if you try to be happy, then he'll be happy, too."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Okay. And...do you think Mom and Dad'll be happy, too?" Granny Chiyo nodded, ruffling my hair.

"Yes," she chuckled. "Why wouldn't they be happy, when they know they've left behind such a lovely daughter?" She gave me another cuddle, and then I headed off to bed.

_I wonder if the nightmare boy will visit me tonight..._

**A Few Years Later**

"Mizuki, are you awake?"

"Yes," I mumbled, sighing. Granny Chiyo entered my room quietly, opening the curtains and allowing the sunlight to seep in.

"Will you be all right alone for a few hours? I have to head into town to get a few things."

"Sure."

"You've got your phone, haven't you?"

"Yes, Granny Chiyo."

"And you'll keep the door locked until I come back?"

"Yes, Granny Chiyo."

"And you won't run off to meet one of your friends, will you?"

"Ye- I mean, no, Granny Chiyo. I'll be fine."

"If you're sure, dear. I'll be back later."

"Bye, Granny Chiyo." She leaned over to kiss my cheek, and I breathed in her familiar powdery smell before waving goodbye.

After she left, I decided to head downstairs and fix myself some breakfast. Then I got dressed and sat down on my bed, wondering what on earth I was going to do for the rest of the day. Eventually, I chose to go out into the garden. I looked around. _Hmm...nope, I'm all out of ideas._

_This is going to be a very long day._

**Later On**

The phone rang at around 4PM. "Hello?"

"Mizuki, I won't be home on time. There's something wrong with the bridge."

"Oh," I replied. "Okay. How long do you think you'll be?"

"I probably won't be back until long after you've gone to sleep, Mizuki, so don't wait up for me, alright?"

"'Kay. Bye, Granny Chiyo."

"Goodbye, dear." I ended the call with a sigh. _Ugh. _It looked like I was going to be stuck there on my own for a while longer. I turned on the TV and flipped through channels, but nothing appealed to me. Then I caught sight of the DVD rack. Most of the films on offer were old movies from when Granny Chiyo was younger, but eventually I found a film I'd never seen before. _Nightmare Woods, huh? _The title sounded corny and a little cliché, but since there was no better alternative, I decided to give it a shot. While I waited for the movie to load, I grabbed some popcorn from the kitchen and a blanket from upstairs...just in case. _You can never have enough precautions._

"_The moon is at its highest point, and a young couple are lost deep within the notorious Nightmare Woods..._" the voiceover began. I rolled my eyes. This was going to be _brilliant. _I sighed, but didn't turn it off. _"The girl clutches the sleeve of her lover for safety...but suddenly, he disappears!_" I headbutted a cushion.

"This is so cliché," I muttered to myself, rolling my eyes.

"_...she looked everywhere for him...and suddenly, there he was...HANGING FROM A TREE!" _The sudden loud noise made me jump, and I hid behind my cushion until the moment was over. Slowly, I peeked out- nope, still there. About two minutes later, I finally trusted myself to look up, and luckily, there were no more dead people on the screen. _Thank God._

Suddenly, I heard another noise. It seemed to be coming from...behind the sofa? I felt someone breathing on the back of my neck. My hair stood on end. Whatever it was was getting closer...I closed my eyes tightly and hid my face. _I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm drea_-

"You can open your eyes now," a gentle voice whispered. I froze. It sounded real. _Too _real.

"Get out," I mumbled shakily. "Get out now!"

"Why?" the voice asked curiously. The sofa made a slight creak, as if someone was sitting down. Against my better instincts, I turned...and there, sitting cross legged on the sofa next to me, was a boy. I knew him immediately, and in the same second I knew that he couldn't be here. He couldn't be real.

But he was.

"You're the nightmare boy, aren't you?" I murmured, my head spinning.

"The nightmare boy?" he repeated lightly. His eyes sparkled. They reminded me of the night sky..._well, obviously._

"What are you doing here?" I hissed, my voice raising in volume and pitch.

"I came to visit you. You did want me too...right?"

"That was years ago," I sighed, lowering my gaze. "I was just a kid-"

"So you want me to leave?" he murmured, his bottom lip quivering.

"I-I..." I rolled my eyes. "Stay if you want, but you'll be bored sooner or later. I'm not the most exciting person in the world."

"I beg to differ. Note that I'm the one who brings all your dreams-"

"You mean, all my nightmares."

"Eh, each to his own. So, Mizuki, what are you wa-"

"How do you know my name?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You interrupt a lot. Of course I know your name. I've known you since you were tiny."

"How come I've never seen you?"

"Well, I come when you're asleep, and leave long before you wake up. Places to be, nightmares to deliver."

"That's what Granny Chiyo said," I mumbled quietly. "She said you were very busy, and I couldn't expect you to stick around all night just for me."

"Granny Chiyo is right," he nodded, amused. "I am very busy. But since I have less hours to fill over at the Dream Factory-" He was interrupted by a stifled giggle which could have only come from me. "What?"

"The Dream Factory?" I repeated. "That's a little cliché, isn't it?" The boy sniffed.

"I didn't come up with the name. Speaking of names, I'm Hikaru. Tsukino Hikaru." I spluttered.

"That's a little ironic, don't ya think? 'Light' and 'radiance' are two words that didn't spring to mind when I first met you." Hikaru rolled his eyes.

"You're really irritating sometimes."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Get out of my house, Hikaru."

"Aw, but I only just got here!" he whined. _Jeez..._ He made his eyes bigger and looked at me with a sad expression. I rolled my eyes and folded my arms.

"Fine, you can stay, but only until Granny Chiyo gets back."

"Yay!" Hikaru squealed, bouncing up and down on the couch. I stared at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Rule number one; no trashing the house." He sat down obediantly, patting the cushions into place. "Rule number two; we have to be quiet, in case we disturb the neighbours." He mimed zipping his lips. "Rule three; break any of these rules, and I'll kick you out forever, okay?" He opens his mouth to protest. "_Okay_?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now, let's watch the rest of the movie."

"Are you sure? If you watch much more of that, you won't need _me_ to bring you nightmares any more."

"I'm perfectly fine," I answered through gritted teeth.

"Positive? Because you seemed pretty scared-" 

"Shut up, Hikaru."

"Yes, ma'am."

**Well, that's the end of the first chapter, then. I love my characters, omigod. We went from depressing to hilarious there, so I hope you lightened up after that slightly despairing news about Mizuki's parents. Hikaru's awesome. I just...omg. And that's about it from me, so, until next time. Night, all.**

**Kioxi**


End file.
